Man arrested in Florida, charged in phone scam

A Jamaican man accused of running an international telephone scam has been arrested, the state attorney general’s office announced Thursday.

Kristoff Cain, 22, was the ringleader of a group that tricked senior citizens into mailing money using several different stories, according to investigators.

In one story, scammers would call victims and tell them they won the lottery but they had to send money to receive their winnings. Sometimes the scammers would identify themselves as FBI or IRS agents and scare people into sending money.

Audrey Huff, 73, of Carrick, served as one of the ring’s money mules and wired nearly $300,000 to Jamaicans until she was arrested last year, investigators said. She pleaded guilty to charges including corrupt organization, theft by deception and conspiracy and was sentenced to probation.

Mr. Cain was taken into custody in Florida, but the exact location and circumstances of his arrest were unclear. The attorney general’s office charged him with corrupt organization, theft by deception and conspiracy. He was being held in the Allegheny County Jail.

Carrick student faces heroin charges

A Carrick High School student faces criminal charges after he was found to be in possession of 20 stamp bags of suspected heroin Thursday.

Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said the student was stopped by school police as he walked through the school’s metal detectors when he arrived in the morning.

The student was released to his parents and faces charges in juvenile court as well as disciplinary action from the school, she said.

Man drags ATM out of laundromat

A man wrenched an entire ATM from its floor mount and dragged it away during a middle-of-thenight theft April 21 at Laundry Time at 250 S. Highland Ave. in Shadyside.

Video surveillance footage that police released Thursday shows the culprit at 3:08 a.m. stride past a bank of washing machines, casually reach down to unplug the ATM and then yank it once sideways and twice forward, breaking the bolts attaching it to the ground.

He is seen dragging it out the way he came in. Police are trying to identify the thief and find both the ATM and the cash.

Pittsburgh police spokesman Chris Togneri said he did not know how much the ATM weighed. There was no exterior video to show where the man went.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 412-422-6520.

Man’s body retrieved from Monongahela River

A man’s body was pulled from the Monongahela River on the South Side on Thursday.

A Pittsburgh police spokeswoman said River Rescue retrieved the body near the 3700 block of Water Street, about a block from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training complex. The man’s identity has not been released.

Investigators were looking for evidence along the riverbank and the nearby Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

Man slain in Hill District identified by authorities

Authorities on Thursday identified the man who a police spokeswoman said was gunned down in front of “a lot of people … women, children, the man’s family.”

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Lawrence Brown, 26, was killed Wednesday night after shots rang out along Bedford Avenue in the Hill District.

Police said dozens of people were outside enjoying the warm weather when, shortly before 11 p.m., multiple shots were fired. Police spokeswoman Alicia George said several vehicles were hit, but no other injuries were reported.

When first responders arrived, Mr. Brown’s body was found lying on the sidewalk.

Because of the large number of people in the area, police said they hope someone who may have witnessed the shooting will contact them.

No arrests had been made, and no information has been released about suspects.